2026-02-15 07:38:08Everyone in the Woods family mansion had left for work before Chris lazily opened his eyes.
He reached for his phone to check the time but froze in the process. A notification had just popped up, one that practically yanked him out of bed. It was a message from his investor.
“I’m ready to move forward. Let’s talk better in person. Let’s meet by 1 P.M today at Louis Café.”
His breath caught.
“Whoo-hoo!”
The sound echoed before he could even stop it.
He jumped out of the bed hoping to share the news.
But as he stepped out, he saw that everyone had left.
He sighed, glanced at the list of chores he’d been given before they left.
“Laundry first,” he muttered. “Then kitchen… then…. Ugh… dusting?”
He grabbed a broom and swept the living room.
The moment he was done, he slipped into a crisp shirt, a neat pair of pants,
polished his shoes, and dashed out the door.
When he arrived, Mr. Lacoster, his investor, was already waiting.
“Hi, Sir. I’m so sorry for keeping you waiting.” Chris said, sliding into the chair
across from him.
Mr. Lacoster smiled warmly. “It’s alright, Chris. I just got here a few minutes ago.”
He leaned back slightly, then added, “I must confess, the app is a brilliant idea.
My company will definitely fund it and bring it to life for people to use.”
Chris’s face lit up with relief and gratitude. “I’m so thankful, Mr. Lacoster. Thank
you for believing in me and in my app. I promise I won’t disappoint you.”
Mr. Lacoster chuckled softly, “You’d better not.”
He reached for a folder and pulled out the contract. After signing it himself, he slid
it across the table.
“Sign here.” He said, pointing to the designated spot.
Chris’s hands shook slightly as he signed. When he read the draft, he could hardly
believe his eyes. The man was giving him over 5 million dollars in funding.
“It was a pleasure doing business with you, Chris.” Mr. Lacoster said, standing.
“I’ll see you soon at the company. And don’t hesitate to reach out if you need anything.”
Chris rose as well, trying to steady his voice. “No… thank you, Mr. Lacoster for
this incredible opportunity.”
…
Charlotte’s office smelled faintly of coffee and paper. Nothing unusual except that Fabio had come to discuss an important business deal with the Woods family.
Veronica sat elegantly in the chair opposite Charlotte, arms folded, listening, Fabio taking the seat next to her.
“This business deal will be yours Charlotte. Only if you promise to be mine.” Fabio said with a smirk on his face.
Veronica looked at Charlotte with a smile, then faced him, “That shouldn’t be a problem, Fabio. Chris is a good for nothing husband. Letting him go is the best decision Charlotte can ever make for this family. Right, Charlotte?”
Charlotte nodded with a smile
“He is just a nobody, Fabio. I was going to divorce him even without you saying it. I was looking for an opportunity but now, this is the best time to do it.” Charlotte said with pride.
“You are right, Charlotte. He probably would have stopped existing if you didn’t take him as your husband. He stays glued to you like a lapdog that won’t leave your side.” Veronica said as she laughed.
Then she faced Fabio, “But Fabio, are you sure once Charlotte divorces Chris, the deal will be ours?”
Fabio chuckled. “You might not know this, but we DeLuca always keep a promise. I promise you and your family that deal but Charlotte has to be mine.”
Charlotte and Veronica exchanged a knowing glance.
“Don’t worry, Fabio. It’s done” Veronica said, a sly smile playing on her lips.
“I guess I’m done here. For now. I’ll see you again Charlotte.” Fabio said as he stood up to take his leave.
“Yes, Fabio. We will get back to you.” Veronica said happily.
Fabio gave a big, flashy smile.
He left after kissing Charlotte on her cheeks.
Her cheeks flushed red.
Immediately he left, Charlotte spoke first, “Vee, I know you are excited about this whole deal thing. I am too, trust me. But how do we get Chris to divorce me? That man is a stubborn fool in love. He wouldn’t sign the papers unless it’s for a valid reason.”
Veronica sighed.
They both know that Chris would never sign those papers except he is being forced or for a genuine reason.
They had to come up with a plan.
Charlotte’s phone chimed. She glanced at the screen and scoffed.
“Come home early. I have a surprise for you.”
She hissed under her breath. “Unbelievable.”
“Who is it?” Veronica asked, barely looking up.
“Its chris,” Charlotte replied coldly. “He wants me to come home early.”
Veronica let out a short laugh. “Let me guess… one of his boring ideas?”
They both laughed.
An idea suddenly popped up in Veronica’s mind.
She snapped up from the chair and grinned.
“What is it?” Charlotte looked confused.
“I know how we can make Chris divorce you without stress.” Veronica said.
“Are you serious!?” Charlotte asked, her eyes widened.
Veronica gestured subtly for Charlotte to come closer. When Charlotte did, she leaned in and whispered something into her ear.
Charlotte blinked, caught off guard. For a moment she said nothing. Then a slow smile touched her lips “Stepmom… you’re a genius.”
Veronica smiled, satisfied. “You can say that again, baby girl.”
Charlotte grinned happily. She will finally get rid of her useless husband.
Without another word, they exchanged a look and walked out, already headed back to the mansion.
Previous Chapter
Latest Chapter
Chapter Hundred
After the call, he walked up to Chris, “Sir, I have informed him. Tomorrow, a date for a meeting with the directors would be set.”Chris nodded his head, “Good. I don’t want us to waste time. Set the meeting as soon as you can. Let us get rid of the weeds from the root and save this dying company”“Yes, sir.” Adrian said as he slightly bowed and walked out to make a call to Silas again.Chris stretched slightly, his eyes a little bit dim. “Let’s go back to the mansion. We will continue from where we stopped tomorrow.”Adrian finally sighed in relief, “Yes, sir. I will get the car ready.”Few minutes after, Chris and Adrian walked out of Mikaelson Global like they hadn’t just turned the whole city upside down in few hours.Back at Thorne’s enterprise. Michael still tried all he could but when he saw that all hopes was lost, he became erratic.He turned to the engineers, “You all are dead!”Then he turned to Marcus, “Take them all to the dungeon.”Melinda and the others screamed, “Sir..
Chapter Ninety-nine
As the night wore on, the predictive threads of the market began to reveal themselves with startling clarity. Chris could see the hidden partnerships, the unreported transfers, the secret accounts. Every loophole the Thorne family had relied on for decades became transparent, exposed to his vision.Adrian’s voice came again, quieter this time. “Sir… they’re trying to offload more personal shares. Some are moving assets offshore. Others are liquidating private holdings.”Chris nodded slowly. “Allow them to. Let them believe they are buying time. Every action feeds the model. Every reaction strengthens our prediction. By the time they realize what has happened, they will have already handed over their empire.”Adrian’s fingers hovered over a keyboard. “Sir… with this much insight… with this much control… we could dominate the entire city’s market. Not just the Thorne Group.”Chris’s eyes flicked toward him, glowing with an intense blue light. “Yes. And that is exactly what we will do. B
Chapter Ninety-eight
“Keep buying,” he said finally, his voice steady but commanding. “Do not let the price fall below the floor. We will stabilize.”A younger engineer shook his head slightly. “Sir, the liquidity is… insufficient. They are taking every opportunity. We cannot match their pace.”Michael’s gaze hardened. “Then we do what we must. Offer personal holdings. Private shares. Whatever is needed to prevent the banks from seizing control.”The words carried weight. It was a move that the engineers didn’t want to consider. Selling personal shares meant handing over parts of the family’s own empire to an unknown buyer. But survival demanded sacrifice.Meanwhile, Chris remained calm in his office, watching the flow. The system had anticipated every reaction.Every defensive measure by the Thorne Group triggered calculated counter-actions. BODAS was not just trading, it was dismantling the family’s grip piece by piece, turning their desperation into opportunity.Adrian’s voice broke the quiet. “Sir… th
Chapter Ninety-seven
Immediately, the engineers tapped on their keyboards violently searching for answers and solutions.The answer came, though no one wanted to say it.Several minutes passed and still there was no improvement.Melinda thought of a solution and gently raised her hand.Michael looked at her, “Yes? Ms. Melinda?”Melinda cautiously moved forward, “Sir, with the look of things, the stocks keep dropping. I would suggest that we release shares.”The room went quiet. That was not a small decision.That was not something Michael Thorne would do lightly.Michael’s expression did not change. “How much?”Melinda swallowed. “Enough to maintain liquidity.”Michael’s eyes remained on her “And if we do not?”The answer was immediate. “The banks will move.”That meant seizure. Control over the Thorne’s enterprises and several losses.Michael exhaled slowly.Then he made the decision. “Prepare the sell orders.”The room did not react immediately. Engineers were sceptical at first. They were about to start
Chapter Ninety-six
Adrian had stopped trying to keep up with everything at once. Instead, he focused on the areas Chris pointed to, trusting that the system itself was handling the rest.Chris remained seated this time, his attention steady, his posture relaxed in a way that made the situation even more unsettling.“Bring up Thorne Group’s primary holdings,” he said.Adrian did not ask questions. “Yes, sir.”The screen shifted.A cluster of major companies appeared, each one tied directly to Silas Thorne’s core operations. These were not secondary partners or smaller suppliers. These were the pillars of his influence.Adrian studied the numbers carefully. “They are already taking losses,” he said.Chris glanced at the screen. “How much?”“Initial drop is around fifteen percent across their flagship companies,” Adrian replied. “But it is accelerating.”Chris nodded once.“They are trying to contain it.”“Yes, sir,” Adrian said. “They are injecting capital, attempting to stabilize prices.”Chris leaned ba
Chapter Ninety-five
Back in the office, Adrian was still watching the feeds closely making all their efforts futile.“They cannot identify the source. No matter how hard they tried to.” he said confidently.Chris’s expression remained unchanged. “They are not meant to.”Adrian adjusted one of the displays, bringing up a live overview of the market.A pattern was forming. At first, it looked chaotic.But the longer he watched, the clearer it became.“This is not random,” Adrian said quietly.Chris glanced at him. “No,” he said. “It is controlled.”Adrian leaned closer to the screen.“It is moving like… like something is guiding it.”Chris allowed a faint smile. “Something is.”The system continued its work. BODAS did not hesitate in any way. It did not slow down. It adjusted in real time, countering every attempt to resist its influence.“Sir,” Adrian said, “some of the larger institutions are pulling out entirely.”Chris nodded. “They are trying to survive.”Adrian looked at him. “Will they?”Chris’s answ
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